As we approach mid-May, the Braves continue to hold onto 1st place in the NL East. I’m not sure how others feel but I am pleasantly surprised. Still, there is a long way to go and the traps and pit falls associated with a 162 game season can jump up and bite the Bravos.

The Mets looked as if they were going to be an unstoppable juggernaut the first two weeks of the 2018 season but injuries to key players and a sudden collapse of their vaunted pitching staff has made them appear very ordinary. While there is lots of time for the New York nine to right their ship, they look very beatable.

Same could be said for the mighty Nationals. They stumbled out of the gate but they have come on strong of late, and they trail both the Braves and the Phillies.

As for the Phillies, I thought they would be much improved this season but they are strong all the way across the board. Good pitching and defense and a solid pen, however, they have a losing record against teams in their division. Could the Braves have contributed to that?

The Marlins are where everyone expected but they do have some pretty impressive pieces. I doubt they will have many of those players around by mid-season as they go full on rebuild.

So, as we watch the budding stars of Albies and Acuna learn the ways of the major leagues, we can be pleasantly surprised by the resurgence of Nick Markakis and the continued impressive performance of Freddie Freeman. Now, as soon as Austin Riley makes his appearance, we can really have some fun!

I have seen more than a few rants on the questionable umpiring last night, and even more on what the heck they are watching in the replay booth.

I missed it, of course, as I watched my hometown Dragons march into the home stadium of a vaunted opponent, said foes being the heavy favorite, and sweep themselves right into the state finals. I am so proud of them I cannot hardly stand myself. They proved that being a scrappy gritty team that doesn’t ever give up or let up can move mountains. And Titans. I’m most proud that they are lead by a man that puts God first and leads in a manner that honors Him and not himself.

And to tie the two topics together, we had our own questionable umpiring last night. In the tight game 2 we had a big hit in the middle innings that should have plated 2, but the second runner was called out at the plate yet was never tagged with the ball. There was a semi-collision at the plate, and the catcher nailed the runner with his elbow coming across, but never with the ball. It ended the inning and the rally. Instead of a 3 run lead and a runner on 2nd, we were out of the inning with a 2-0 lead. Our coach discussed the incident very respectfully as far as I could tell, meaning I never saw an exhibition of anger or lack of calm. Of course, I do not know what was said. But the next time our team came to bat, the strike zone had expanded upward to the Adam’s apple for the first batter. Pretty cheap and petty by the ump if you ask me, but no one did. It appeared to come back to reality for the subsequent batters, but the kid who was called out on all those high strikes was just baffled by what had occurred. He paid the price for the umpire’s desire to make a point. But our kids buckled down and made that 2-0 lead stand. Did that circumstance steel the kids determination? Maybe. They sure did seem to focus a little harder after it.

Our Dragons play another top rated team for the state title next week in the stadium of the low-A Rome Braves. Best of 3 series. Double-header on the first day, game 3 on the following day if necessary. You can bet I’ll be there if at all possible.

I still am. High school sports is pure in many senses. It’s not about money, it’s not about trying to get highlights on SportsCenter. It’s about battling with your friends to play a game you love. I’ve watched this team all season grow into a state finalist, and it’s so well deserved for them.

It doesn’t hurt that the head coach is my close friend and an all around good guy.

In the post-game last night, Jeff Francoeur made the comment that the Braves are proving that they can play toe-to-toe with the Cubs, a team considered to be among the league’s best. I think it’s a valid point.

And in a semi-related point, isn’t Frenchy a really good broadcaster? So much better as an analyst than Brian Jordan and Nick Green. And that’s not to say either of them are bad, but Frenchy is really good.

He has also filled in on the radio side for Don Sutton, who has yet to make a road trip with the team this season. (That’s a separate topic.) He made on road trip with Mark Lemke filling in on the others. Lemke offers good insight, but his voice is a bit annoying. But Frenchy is smooth, smart, insightful, and natural. I think he can excel in that venture if he wants to. I hope the Braves keep him here with them. Obviously Don is in the far end of his long career. I think Frenchy would be the perfect compliment to Don’s partner, Jim Powell, whom I like very much. He is a great play-by-play announcer, although for some reason they still let Don do p-b-p fr about half the innings. That has always been a mistake in my opinion, but what do I know?

Anyway, that was a long-winded compliment to Frenchy. I think he’s found another avenue to be called “The Natural”.

Isn’t it something to see a bunch of kids – stinkin’ kids – go out and play well and have fun doing it? I’m not sure any of thought the bounty would be quite this good. And we still don’t have Austin Riley, the cherry on top, up yet. They have me very excited for sure.

Oh… and that doesn’t even broach the topic of pitching, the side of the game that all of the “experts” think we have loaded up on.

Swanson had pain-free workouts the past two days. So, they’re sticking with the plan for him to play for Rome tonight. I’m still thinking he’ll be activated from the DL tomorrow. But there’s a chance he’ll end up playing two rehab games

The new prevailing thought on a corresponding move is to option Johan to AAA to work on his swing, which has gotten somewhat “long” lately. Opposing pitchers are exploiting it by eaten him up inside. Over the last week he’s slashing .125/.300/.125. Over the last 2 weeks he’s slashing .147/.341/.147.

The #Braves have placed RHP Mike Soroka on the 10-day DL (retroactive to May 14) due to a right shoulder strain. LHP Max Fried has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and will start tonight’s game against the Cubs.

Gotta say, I like Fried vs. the Cubs. He’s a good young pitcher and major league ready. These kind of starts get him more exposure. I think he’ll be dealt as “capital” at some point to fill another need. Closer at the deadline maybe? Catcher in offseason? Hope he goes to the AL.

Soroka informed the Braves yesterday he was dealing with some shoulder discomfort. The team took the precautionary route by DL'ing the young right-hander, who might be ready to start on Wednesday, when he'll be eligible for activation.

Isn’t it something to see a bunch of kids – stinkin’ kids – go out and play well and have fun doing it? I’m not sure any of thought the bounty would be quite this good

V, I don’t see how anyone could guess that they would be this good, this soon. You just don’t see seemingly fully formed MLB players at 20, 21. I mean, for every ARod, Ken Griffey Jr. there are more players like Nelson Cruz, that didn’t even become a regular til he was 28 (an extreme example actually) Look at Dansby. Sure seems like he turned a corner, but he is the more normal situation, right?
How upset would anyone have been if 25 YO Sean Newcomb was traded away during the offseason? I did think he could be a valuable member of the rotation, but he only got a chance because of Gohara getting hurt…and now he’s as of today, the best starter on the team….baseball, it’s kinda hard to predict 😛

Yes Ber, it is why betting on baseball has to be dumbest endeavor know to man. So many moving parts, not to mention the shoddy umpiring…

And wither Nick Markakis? Who would of thunk it?

Still, it is early and the bullpen is in danger of being seriously over worked at the pace they are being used. Young tender arms being used is always scary. I am glad to see the Braves taking a cautious approach with young pitchers however, Steve Avery anyone?

Only on the day after a rainout, with no other real news, would this even be brought up, but MLBTR is reporting “The Braves released outfielder Ezequiel Carrera from the organization, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett”.

Yawn.

OK… might as well state why. Again, MLBTR: In 93 plate appearances for Gwinnett, he limped to a .146/.228/.220 slash.

The real news here is that this is the news. Nothing else to report. Bleh.

Of course, it could be in advance of OF Preston Tucker being sent down to make room for Dansby, but that is probably a reach. Even if you were to try to justify dropping a OF from the bench by saying Bautista is an OF, it’s still exchanging LH for RH. And it’s a bench move anyway.

The better move is to let Johan go down and get his stroke back… or to move on from Joey Bats and give 3B back to Ryan Flaherty until Austin Riley gets the callup, which could come sooner than any of us imagined when the season started.

Truth is that Tucker has been reliable off the bench. I think we need to keep that.

Yes, a real head scratcher that one. Maybe they did not want to start a lefty or maybe Fried woke up with a back ache. I’m sure the question will be asked by someone tonight, if they even play a game…. Lots and lots of water up and down the coast.

According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for 755 Battery Ave., Atlanta:

This afternoon, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tonight, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

They want Fried to stay on a regular schedule with Gwinnett. He made sense for yesterday's emergency start because it was his start day. With another long relief appearance today or tomorrow, Gohara could be ready to fill Soroka's spot on Wednesday. https://t.co/ByxyAM9psd

so…I came home, put the game on, 8-4 Marlins…8th inning. Marlins then hit another homer, 9-4. Hit pause, and …forgot about the game… a friend called…hey, did you go to sleep after Church and lunch? No….why? Well, the braves won, 10-9!!!! WHA????????????????????????????????
my friend even gave up at 9-6 (Saw tv at McDonalds ) went out to the car, called someone, and then heard they won….so, I unfroze the DVR and gave a play by play as it unfolded.
Truly unbelievable as FF, Nick M, and Dansby were all down to their last strike, and each time there were 2 outs!!!
the odds, the odds of this happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😯

Shamefully, I gave up when it was 8-4, went outside to help Josie work on the pool. When I came in, I checked the scores to see how Philly had done. To my amazement, I too saw the Braves had one. Fired up the old DVR to pick up where I left off.

So, the Braves got the one back that got away in Chicago. Works for me… 🙂

So I had been taking care of some pre-Peru business yesterday afternoon – did I mention that I’m going to be in Peru on mission for a week starting this Friday? – and turned the game on the radio to drive late in the afternoon. I had been trying to opportunistically keep up with the game somewhat via Twitter earlier, so I knew we had been down 6-0, but had not been able to check in since about the 6th inning. I ended up in the car ahead of the rest of the family and turned the game on the radio as quickly as I could. As I tuned in, Braves radio guy Jim Powell was recapping Nick’s hit that scored Freddie for the 2nd run in the 9th inning to make it 9-6, and I immediately wondered how many outs we had to work with. Powell came right back to reset the action and dutifully noted there were 2 runs in and 2 outs. I cringed a little. But I know this team never gives up, so I locked in to the audio confident that Powell would carry me on the rest of the ride. I sat there in the parking lot for several minutes alone getting into the action as the Braves worked back to a 1-run deficit before the rest of the gang came out to the car. Dansby was already in the middle of his AB when I started driving. It’s very hard to concentrate on the road when you are living and dying with each pitch, and I almost drove off the road when Dansby got the big knock down the LF line. I think I scared my daughter a little. Mrs. Vox just laughed. She gets me.

Would AA look to take on the remainder of Moose’s $6.5M deal? We’re talking about roughly half, so $3.25M. I think the Braves would do it if it would not cost too much in talent going the other way. After all, this is truly a half season rental with Austin Riley raking at AAA. And as much as we’d like to see Riley come on up and join the fun, it would not be very wise expect such a young team to play through a playoff gauntlet. No, for that you need a sprinkling of experienced and battle tested veterans. Moose is certainly that. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s slashing a cool 294/.333/.528 with 10 HR’s in 46 games.

What would such a deal look like? Maybe a pitcher like Joey Wentz, top rated, but not as highly spoken of as Kolby Allard, Kyle Wright or even Luiz Gohara. But for a 2 month rental, they won’t get much else. Maybe a fringe throw-in prospect. It would cost a top 10 guy, but would really solidify an already formidable lineup. Picture Moose’s bat in the middle of our order with Freddie and Nick. Yum yum.

Maybe the more important thing to read out of this is that these “talent evaluators” are apparently expecting the Braves to remain in contention, thus in the market to buy at the deadline. It is a marked change of attitude from even just this spring, when most national “experts” still predicted a sub-.500 season for Los Bravos. The prevailing thought now, of course, is that the current level of play from this talented, young and exciting team is absolutely sustainable. This team is for real. If they can solidify their top spot in the division with a couple of wins in Philly, they’ll be securely on top at Memorial Day, the first realistic time you can look at the standings and draw any conclusions. That will be the time for AA to start making decisions based on 2018 and not on 2019 and beyond.

Yesterday my baseball attention was consumed by the hometown HS baseball team playing the opening double-header of the best-of-3 championship series for the 4A State title in Georgia. They played these games in State Mutual Stadium, home of our own low-A Rome Braves. It’s a pretty nice facility for these boys to get to wrap their season in. it’s a good 2 1/2 hour drive from home, but only about a half hour from our opponents’ home. That said, we traveled just as well and by my estimate we still had as many folks in the stands. And the crowd was amazing for a HS game.

Anyway, the teams split the opening games, meaning they will play a decisive Game 3 tomorrow. One final game for all the marbles.

What would such a deal look like? Maybe a pitcher like Joey Wentz, top rated, but not as highly spoken of as Kolby Allard, Kyle Wright or even Luiz Gohara. But for a 2 month rental, they won’t get much else

umm…no….

Gohara impressed me more than any braves pitcher last year…it would be beyond stupid to give up the next Sabathia for a 2 month rental….
now, I’m not saying don’t trade for Moose….now, Allard (easier to give up guys you’ve never seen pitch, right?) or Max Fried ? Perhaps…can’t have 9, 10 legit starters (well, you can in case of injuries but) but you trade away young(cheap, since we are supposed to care about billionaires saving a few million) potential #2’s or #3s for more than rentals, right? I mean, Riley doesn’t appear to be flopping so no way they sign Moose in the offseason, and you don’t get a thing draftwise either when he walks….

You misunderstand me Ber. I am suggesting Joey Wentz. There is a short list of pitchers that I consider “untouchable”. And this is only because we do have a wealth of talent to consider in the ranks. But Kolby Allard is an untouchable for me. As is Mike Soroka and Kyle Wright. Luiz Gohara falls into the second tier, along with Max Fried. Joey Wentz could in the end be as good or better than those I named. But I haven’t seen it yet. His is still unborn potential. With Soroka and Allard and Wright and Gohara and Fried (mostly in that order) we have already been able to see where they have dominated at times.

As an aside, I think pushing Fried (remember, he jumped from AA to make his ML debut last year and since has yo-yo’d back and forth between Gwinnett and Atlanta, has hurt his development. I don’t think the kid got a chance to get ripe. I’d love to see him have some extensive time to just start every 5 days in AAA. I think he still has great potential.

Gohara will always scare me from an injury standpoint. He may have the stuff of a Sabathia, but you can’t pitch from the training table. So if I’m forced to choose between Gohara and Allard, I take Allard 10 times out of 10.

But as I said, I wouldn’t give up Gohara for 2 months of Moose. I don’t even know if I’d give up Wentz. In today’s market, GM’s are loathe to give up prospects for 2 month rentals. The going price has dropped for such players.

Riley doesn’t appear to be flopping so no way they sign Moose in the offseason, and you don’t get a thing draftwise either when he walks

No, but this isn’t about the future anymore. It’s about 2018. How much would Moose help our everyday lineup, how much would he help us secure a spot in the playoffs, and how much deeper in the postseason would he help us get?

That’s what it’s about. If I’m AA and think this team has a legitimate shot – and there are now talking heads that say this series between Atlanta and Philly has the best 2 teams in the NL – then I push the right buttons to make it happen now. I stoke the hot team while they are a hot team and I don’t let my foot off the gas.

Voice text so expect many errors V I didn’t realize you had written some of that I thought that was all some column is talking. Imho Gohara has the best stuff and you don’t trade him unless you’re getting somebody like Ronald Acuna not to 3 months of a third baseman. I understand improving the team I just know that the GM is itching to make a trade because he hasn’t really done anything and this is the guy that traded away Thor you don’t want to be the general manager of the trades away somebody that beat you up in the playoffs every year quick name all the starters that are left-handed and throw in the upper 90s all right then LOL

Dansby appears to be struggling again, it’s alarming how quickly he falls into bad habits

Wrist injuries take their toll. He’s also adjusting to a new bat. He has switched over to the axe handle type bat like Zuk uses. He says it takes alot of strain off his wrist. That’s the upside. Of course, the downside is that he’s not used to that grip…

I just realized that maybe I should try that before I say that. I have not ever tried to do that in the WordPress format. But it appears to work. Doesn’t it? You know, I think it does. Yes all of that was a test.

He’s got great stuff. And I hope he goes out tonight and gives us 6 innings (or more) of dominant pitching. And I hope he comes off injury free. And I hope he repeats that from start to start.

All I’m saying is that I’m not confident that he can stay injury free.

And again, I would not trade Gohara for 2 months of Moose. Never said I would. But I would consider – consider – including him in a package to bring back a long term catcher or in a package for a veteran pitcher top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Sounds crazy to say I want to add a pitcher, doesn’t it? But I don’t want to go into the post-season with Julio Teheran as my “ace”. Julio is not an “ace”. But he’d be a great #2.

Remember how stocked Houston was last year with pitching, even young pitching? Yet they added Justin Verlander. And JV was the MVP of the playoffs for HOU. That’s what I want,

And I’m almost as worried about Folty’s head as I am Gohara’s body. He just never looks settled on the mound. He’s at the stage of his career where he has to mature and just simply pitch his game regardless of the way the calls go. He’s gonna have something go against him in every game. He just will. It happens to every pitcher. But Folty just can’t ever seem to get over it. You see the signs… he starts twitching. He starts talking to himself. He has to walk around the mound. He simply loses focus, and then the strike zone. And then is all snowballs.

He’s a high wire act every time out. And the tough part is that he has no-hit potential from his arm every time out. But the head…

He is still pretty young, and I remember the same being said about John Smoltz. Maybe someone should wear a red sweater… Any who, Just remember what I have been preaching about an ace verses a number 5, All pitchers can generally give you one good game out of three, it is the ace who gives you a stellar performance every time out. That is why Julio is a number 3 on a really good club.

Now, that said, it is also when you pitch. If I could make a trade, I would inquire as to what the Marlins would want for José Miguel Ureña, I think he is one of the best 0-7 i’ve seen in a while.

He’s got great stuff. And I hope he goes out tonight and gives us 6 innings (or more) of dominant pitching. And I hope he comes off injury free. And I hope he repeats that from start to start.

All I’m saying is that I’m not confident that he can stay injury free.

he’s still only 21, I don’t see how we can know how healthy he will be long term. I mean, remember Ozzie’s health issues last year?
Fat pitchers seem to pitch forever. David Wells pitched til he was 44. How many pitchers do that, period? Sabathia is still going strong at 37-38

And again, I would not trade Gohara for 2 months of Moose. Never said I would. But I would consider – consider – including him in a package to bring back a long term catcher or in a package for a veteran pitcher top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Sounds crazy to say I want to add a pitcher, doesn’t it? But I don’t want to go into the post-season with Julio Teheran as my “ace”. Julio is not an “ace”. But he’d be a great #2.

Remember how stocked Houston was last year with pitching, even young pitching? Yet they added Justin Verlander. And JV was the MVP of the playoffs for HOU. That’s what I want,

well, I get that…the Astros really didn’t have a #1 for the playoffs (soft tossers just don’t do well in the playoffs, and there were several players upset that they didn’t get someone by the first deadline, Dallas Keuchel for one) now they have 2 guys, and they sure didn’t give up much for either, did they?

I just hope Thoppy will be…smart. I hope he learned some lessons from the poor deals he made in Toronto….I guess it all depends on whom you can get…but who will be available tradewise?????

Really, really don’t know how Julio T can look as good as anyone, then throw hanging pitches to back to back hitters in the 4th. Needs Smoltz to work on his slider…he’s been pitching too long to look like a rookie Pitcher…

Back in first with a nice win over the Red Sox today. Funny, the two games I thought the Braves had the best chance to win was not this one. That is why betting on baseball has to be the dumbest idea ever…

Folty looked sharp, the bats were alive. A big scare with Acuna Jr. I thought for sure he had torn his ACL. Still, I don’t expect to see him in uniform for a couple of days. That bad boy will swell up big time over night and stiffen up.

Another tough week ahead. Vee picked a good time to go on his mission to Peru.

Wish I could have seen the game, but after Church , restaurant didn’t have a TV, heard a bit of the end of the game. I’m worried about Acuna…that didn’t look good..I worry about his knee….Even though Brice didn’t have surgery, he missed months….hopefully Ronald will only miss weeks….

I added a couple of weather-related links below: Atlanta Radar and a site that gives weather conditions anywhere a game is to be played. Just scan down their list to find the Braves. Do you like them, meh, or they’re just a waste of time? 🙂

I toughed it out last night and stayed up late to watch the Braves fall to the Mutts in the second game. The boys looked flat in the field but they scored enough runs to win. Could have score a lot more but that is how baseball goes, hard hit balls that do not fall in or are caught or swinging at balls down and away. I’m thinking if a ball is that low to begin with, why swing?

So, Anibal Sanchez returns to the mound tonight, if nothing else, I look for him to get Julio back on track.

Wow, CL, thanks for posting the link from last night’s game! The braves had looked so bad in the 2nd game of the DH, then gave up and went to bed last night when they were down 6-2 I believe…I know I shouldn’t give up on them, but the mets look like a last place team, with so many injuries, and Joey Bats playing everyday for them….

HA HA… I toughed it out Ber, what else am I going to do? When the Braves scored two runs I thought they might have a chance, Then Wisler gave up a pair but when Ender tied it up, well, oh boy… The rocket Camargo hit was like a heat seeking missile to the Chop House. Chip hardly had time to call the play by play.

Last night’s game is the prime example of why games are played on the field and not on paper. The Braves offense looked flat. To be fair, the Braves rally in the 8th was nipped in the bud by a fantastic play by the shortstop but that is why baseball has to be played out. There are no pre-determined outcomes.

Oh man, was Folty sharp last night, it is the best I have ever seen him pitch and that includes his near no hitter last season at Oakland. He and Strasburg matched each other pretty much much for pitch until the 7th when the Braves struck for 4 runs.

Markakis is playing like he’s 25 again and Dansby has put his axe handle bat days securely in his rear view mirror.

Now, if McCarthy can give 6 solid innings today, the Braves can strut…

Man, wish I could have seen the game 😦 stupid Direct tv…we are having issues with upper channels…and between 646 and 649 (the 2 channels the games bounce back and forth on) one or the other won’t come in, along with other channels, like the Weather Channel..
Dread calling them, they will make me do everything that you are told to do again…only I won’t, which will cause more issues…sigh…

I have to agree Vee, I doubt he will be on the Braves roster this afternoon at game time. I told Josie when he came in the game was over. I guess the Braves (Snit) felt like they had to give him a try somewhere but I thought they had a couple of other options still available.

The plus side of all of this is a young Braves team is getting use to playing under pressure.

On the weather front… It started raining yesterday afternoon around 5PM, by midnight we had 2 1/2 inches and overnight we got another 1 3/4 inches of water. I told Josie not to over water her newly planted roses…. HA!

well, some sat issues still, so only saw some of last nights game (Comargo sure gets big hits, wish he’d get a few more singles to bring up the AVE) no biggie missing the end of that game, but wow, great game today!

Have to hand it to Thoppy, did not get Culberson, but he had 2 game winning homers in a week, so…good signing! 😉

Viz got into then out of trouble, which is awesome, bet that helps him long term…..

Oh… and it’s Day 1 of the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft. This is one of the things I dearly love. It’s part of my obsession.

Things to remember… their first pick is #8 overall. And they were penalized their 3rd rounder, including the slot allowance that goes along with it.

Players to watch for the Braves:

Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie HS (Melbourne, Fla.) — The Braves historically love HS pitchers for their first pick. there’s alot of buzz around this one. Baseball America says, “Florida righthander Carter Stewart continues to be brought up in this range. Some industry sources believe that the Braves will go for a high school player at No. 8 with big upside and then focus on college players afterwards.”

Nolan Gorman, 3B, O’Connor HS (Phoenix) — Some mocks have him connected to the Braves even though Austin Riley could lock up the position for years to come. But Gorman is a really good hitter that might be hard to pass up if they decided to go away from pitching. Again, Baseball America: “The Braves could be hoping that one of the players already off the board falls to this spot, but they’ve long been linked to the premier upside slugger of the class in Nolan Gorman. Popping Gorman here is quite literally a swing for the fences.”

Cole Winn, RHP, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS — Another HS pitcher… this one more comparable to Joey Wentz in that he’s got alot of upside, but alot of question marks as well. Maybe a bit of a reach, but the kind of pick that could sign for underslot allowing the Braves to go bigger with their next pick and make up for the loss of pool money.

Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama — Swaggerty is a “5-tool” player that is very good at all phases of the game, but maybe not great in any one. Still he grades out as follows: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55. His closest ML comp is probably NYY’s Brett Gardner. Might be a bit of a reach at #8, but again, the Braves could look to make an underslot signing here and spread out the savings to sign up in later rounds. They’ve used this method alot in recent drafts and it has paid off in quality minor league depth.

Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha (Wisc.) West HS — If they decide to go with a HS bat, Kelenic’s bat and all-around tools could be too much to pass up. The poop: “The all-around athleticism for Kelenic is quite promising, but his best carrying tool is going to be his hitting ability. The first thing most scouts note of Kelenic is just how advanced his bat is, which is even more remarkable for a cold-weather player [Wisconsin] who doesn’t get the same amount of exposure to competition as other prospects. Kelenic consistently barrels pitches and shows good strike zone recognition and excellent bat speed. Opinions on Kelenic’s power vary, but the general consensus is that he should produce at least average power and could be as good as plus.”

One more, maybe because I actually saw this kid a couple of weeks ago, but also because he’s pretty dang good…

Anthony Seigler, C, Cartersville (Ga.) HS — He may be a bit of a reach at #8, probably more suited for the bottom half of Round 1, but he’s the second catcher on the board after Joey Bart, who likely won’t make it past pick #2. Seigler will almost certainly be picked as a catcher, but I also saw him pitch, and he’s a pretty decent pitcher as well. Fun fact, I saw him pitch as a LH, and catch as a RH. He has a better arm as a RH. Yes, he’s a “switch-pitcher”. In the game I saw him pitch, he pitched exclusively as a LH, but his RH arm behind the plate is really impressive, and I saw him show that off alot. It’s REALLY impressive. Oh, he also consistently drove the ball to the deepest parts of the park – the Rome Braves home park. The long HR he drove out into the LF bullpen would have been a HR in many ML parks. He looks the part to me, and the Braves do love to pick local kids. If Seigler falls to the Braves in Round 2 it’s almost a no-brainer. But he shouldn’t fall that far.

I did not mention it earlier but didn’t Anibal Sanchez really pitch a nice game yesterday? Only one mistake that resulted with a 2 run dinger by Trey Turner, who by the way tried to hold off the Braves single handedly with his glove play, but just looked great. Quick efficient innings, not trying to strike out the side but getting weak contact. It was a clinic that The Reds should force feed to Matt Harvey.

Yes, we all love the power pitching game where your started posts 15 Ks but to me, those guys belong in the reliever role where they can go full bore for the 2 or 3 innings their arms hold out.

I actually watched some sort of draft show on MLBTV late last night (was looking for game highlights, but they oddly went from quickpitch to the hour-long show) and it was interesting, but saw like the top 50 or 100, I forget. Sure would like to get that Bart kid from GA Tech….can ya trade up in the baseball draft? 😉 but saw 2 kids in the show, the one V mentioned above (they showed him throwing lefty-mid 80’s, righty, low 90’s, and showing off the arm behind the plate) and another one…but, wasn’t taking notes. the show did not go into who would be drafted by whom, just the top prospects according to the 2 baseball nerds….
I honestly thought the braves lost a draft pick, glad they didn’t….

Speaking of trade, it’s not too early to start thinking of such things. I look for the Braves to pick up a top reliever (A’s Blake Treinen maybe?), and possibly a veteran starter if the right guy is dangled. (Could Cole Hamels be this year’s Justin Verlander?) I think it’s at least plausible they could seek a bench upgrade, although it’s hard to see our bench as a weakness thus far. Yeah… nevermind about the bench. But the bullpen will be job #1, and Thoppy is not known for sitting on his hands.

I suppose I should have been a little clearer on what I mean by trading for a reliever. This team needs a clear shutdown closer. Viz is too up-and-down, and Minter looks to still be a little wet behind the ears. Unless they simply install the dominant but inexperienced Dan Winkler into the role, there isn’t a clear candidate on the team already. And in case I haven’t made myself clear on the topic, I do not and cannot trust Viz in that role night after night. He’s too Jekyll & Hyde. You just never know with him.

Young Gabe Burns at the ajc says, “The Braves will take BPA (Best Player Available) – HS vs. college, pitcher vs. position, where he’s from, etc. doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t read into recent trends. (3B Nolan) Gorman’s the popular pick. Braves traditionally opt for young arm over guy like that. AA isn’t traditional, but will defer to (top scout Brian) Bridges and Co., so interested to see how that plays out.”

Just 3 years ago, 4 of the Braves top 5 picks were Kolby Allard (#14 overall), Mike Soroka (#28), Austin Riley (#41), and AJ Minter (#75). Only Minter was a college player.

All in all, not a bad year. 🙂

For what it’s worth, the other guy was Lucas Herbert, who was Allard’s HS catcher. They took him with pick #54. Many speculate that they took him as a favor to Allard to insure that Allard signed. Not sure if that’s true or not, but Herbert has not risen in the system very quickly (still in single-A) and he barely cracks the Top 30 prospect list at 30.

The flip side to that coin is Frank Wren’s last draft in 2014, where the Braves’ top 5 picks were Braxton Davidson, Garrett Fulenchek, Max Povse, Chad Sobotka, and Chris Diaz. I just looked up and down that entire draft and I don’t see one player that has a snowball’s chance of ever seeing the inside of the clubhouse at SunTrust Park unless they get hired as staff.

Herbert has not risen in the system very quickly (still in single-A) and he barely cracks the Top 30 prospect list at 30.

And likely to get bumped off that list at the conclusion of this year’s draft.

After much thought, I have concluded the real penalty accessed by MLB against the Braves was not so much as the loss of draft pick but the loss of all those International signees who would have made prime trade fodder.

Late game tonight for me, I suspect I will sleep or be asleep during a large part of it.

The draft really exposes your scouting department, which was decimated by Frank Wren because he was such a control freak. It’s no accident that when Wren was fired that the Braves got the band back together and began making realistic picks again. Kolby Allard, Ian Anderson, and Kyle Wright are all solid picks who sit at #’s 2, 5, & 3 respectively in the Braves top 10 prospect list. All 3 are considered top-of-the-rotation type starting pitchers.

Braxton Davidson had no business being a 1st round pick, especially since he had played 1B exclusively in HS (the Braves had just inked Freddie Freeman to a long term deal) and they sought to convert him to OF exclusively.

YOU DON’T WASTE A 1st ROUND PICK ON A PROJECT.

Granted, that particular draft wasn’t loaded with talent once you got past about the first 20 picks or so, but man… you have to at least get close on those 1st rounders. I’ll always have a beef with the fact they drafted a 1B to make a OF. And to top it off, for 5 years of pro coaching, he’s got a .217/.348/.337 pro career slash line to show for it, including this year’s less than sterling .129/.241/.265 in 43 games in his second look at high-A pitching.

By all accounts, Carter Stewart was the guy they had their eyes on the whole time… just hoped he’d fall to them at #8. Jim Callis at MLB.com says,

“He has the best breaking ball in this Draft class, with the spin rate on his curve reportedly exceeding 3,000 rpm, which is Charlie Morton territory. Stewart also has touched 97-98 mph on his fastball throughout the spring, giving him one of the more impressive two-pitch combinations in the Draft. Stewart should fit in nicely with Atlanta’s collection of outstanding pitching prospects.”

Athletic 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame – I like a big, strong pitcher. Apparently the Braves do too. I think it fares well for his durability and endurance.

“The breaking ball was so special,” scouting director Brian Bridges said. “They don’t come along. You always look for that one thing, whether it be a power pitch or a big-time breaking ball. God willing that he stays healthy, it’s the one thing he’ll always have. And you’ll be talking, when he makes his debut, about that big hammer.” – Drop the hammer!! Newk from the left side and Stew from the right.

Stewart’s curveball has generated a spin rate of more than 3,000 rpm, putting him in an elite category with such Major Leaguers as the Astros’ Charlie Morton. But his stock truly rose when his growth spurt made him a legit power pitcher. His fastball sat 88-90 mph during last summer’s showcase season, but his heater sat 92-94 and touched 98 mph this spring. – I can picture hitters’ knees buckling already.

“I like to model myself after Justin Verlander a little bit, with his intensity and his ability to pitch,” Stewart said. “I’ve been watching him for a long time, and I feel like that’s one guy who I can definitely model myself after.” – A little bit of Verlander is OK by me.

Stewart posted a 0.91 ERA and recorded 128 strikeouts over 61 2/3 innings during his senior season. He may have cemented his place with the Braves when he recorded 18 strikeouts and threw a no-hitter with cross-checker Tom Battista in attendance. – Timing… gotta love his timing. 🙂

The Braves took college OF Greyson Jenista out of Wichita State in Round 2. The guy’s a big time power hitter, and was named last summer’s Cape Cod League MVP. More Bowman tidbits:

6-foot-4, 220-pound left-handed hitter – Prototypical OF.

“This guy has unbelievable power,” Bridges said. “It’s real power. He’s a better hitter. I think a little Draft-itis was bothering him this year. He was trying too hard, and pressing.” – He hit “only” .309, but with just 9 HR’s in 56 games this past season, which reportedly caused him to drop from Round 1 to Round 2 in the eyes of most teams.

Jenista hit .320 with 14 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and six stolen bases during his sophomore season at Wichita State. He enhanced his stock last summer, when he batted .310, tallied three home runs and stole nine bases over 39 Cape Cod League games. – Eases any concerns over what Bridges called “Draft-itis” in his junior season.

“We really like what he brings, definitely with the left-handed swing in our ballpark, gives us a potential to tap into that power,” Bridges said. “You can’t teach size, and you can’t teach strength. You can’t teach power. We … get the most out of their abilities.” – It’ll be nice to track a pure bopper through the system.

Braves reliever Jose Ramirez had a setback in his recovery from strained shoulder when he was throwing first live batting practice since going on DL. Being checked in Atlanta today. – Don’t look for him for quite a while.

Braves’ Acuna is progressing but still sore and hasn’t resumed baseball activities. That could happen this week but not definite. And will need rehab assignment before he returns. – He’ll rehab while the Braves tour the Left Coast… probably be activated for the next homestand.

The Braves have been on (Round 4 pick Tristan) Beck for a while. They were ecstatic he was still there. – I have full trust in Brian Bridges and his staff. The track record is impressive. If Bridges really likes this kid, so do I.

Julio placed on the DL for a sprained thumb. Okay, works for me. I suspect Soroka will take his spot in the rotation.

Yup.

I suspect there is more to Julio than a thumb contusion. His velo has been down all season and his control is crap. Perhaps they can figure it out while he’s down for a couple weeks. Something is not right, though, and it ain’t a thumb.

As for the draft, the Braves appear to have made the most out of the first 2 days. Some observers say they got three Round 1 talents with their first 3 picks (Rounds 1, 2, & 4). And the rest of the Day 2 picks look to be fairly solid as well. Day 3 is more of the longshot/filler type players, but you still never know. Brian Bridges & Co. are the best in the biz, so don’t count any player out.

And speaking of Round 4 pick Tristan Beck, the RHP from Stanford, the Braves have reportedly liked him a very long time. They wanted him in the 2015 draft out of HS, but were (correctly) convinced he was going to honor his commitment to Stanford. So they used that pick on some guy named Mike Soroka instead.

Also, Brian Bridges told young Gabe Burns that had not been penalized their Round 3 pick, they would have picked Beck there. When he slid to them in Round 4, they were all ecstatic.

No surprise that most of these guys are college guys. Drafting a HS’er this late is risky since most already have a college scholarship in their pocket. The bonus amounts this far down are usually not enough to keep a guy from honoring his college commitment. The difference with Victor Vodnik in Round 14 is that he hasn’t made a college commitment.

Well, Dad and I spent a really fun nite at E.R. (10 PM til we left at 7:30 AM) Dad was super tired yesterday, a bit light headed too.and had some discomfort around his left shoulder, but was also had done some cleaning of his car (He’s a lefty like me, in arm and leg usage only 😉 ) Dad always seems to have some sort of lung/breathing issue, yet oxygen levels are usually great, like 96-98 . Anyways, seemed like there was some discomfort in the center of the chest.
Thankfully, his heart/blood enzymes were good, and so was his chest x-ray, so will see a heart specialist soon-ish. (He just saw the pacemaker checker-outers, that happens every 6 months, but since other tests on his heart were good, he doesn’t have appointments with a heart doc ever)

It is evident the Braves were well aware of the financial constraints in this year’s draft. Only one high school pick in their top ten. I don’t know how much Carson Steward will want out of the pie but I suspect it will be a bunch.

3 guys I want for the 2018 Braves, but don’t necessarily want to give up what it might take…

Cole Hamels. He’s still Cole Hamels and would give us a good, solid, veteran starter at the top of the rotation. Julio is not that. The Rangers also hold a 2019 option on him, so he wouldn’t be a 3 month rental and would fit our timeline perfectly. He’d also likely cost a Top 10 prospect pitcher as a starting point. I’ll give up Gohara, but not Soroka, Allard, or Wright. And Gohara makes the most sense because he can step in to their rotation now. The Braves might also have to give up Alex Jackson or another top position name. It will NOT be Austin Riley… that’s a promise. Tack on another rmid-level prospect (DPetey?) and you might make a match.

Mike Moustakas. As we mentioned earlier, Johan has been exposed by being an everyday player. Moose would be a perfect fit in the middle of our lineup at #4 or #5. He’s currently slashing .272/.330/.494 w/ 12 HR’s. Teams are not getting as much for short term rentals as they once were, but he still will probably cost you one top arm. Joey Wentz is from the KC area. Pricey. Not sure I’d want to give up that much.

Here’s the fun one…

How about working a deal with KC to get both Moose and Kelvin Herrera? Herrera has 13 saves on the season and a sterling 0.79 ERA. He’s another 3 month rental, but he’d solidify our shaky bullpen. Maybe AA can work a deal for both Moose and Herrera, and give back Viz, Camargo, Wentz and Travis Demeritte. I could live with that, and it would be a serious shot in the arm to both the bullpen and everyday lineup. And they could work on locking up Herrera longer term while they’re at it.

So, it appears to me that KC is doing their due diligence it acquiring as much as possible for what trade chips they have. At this point, the only team I see as having a real need for a third baseman is the Braves unless you count the Mets who need someone long term.

Not that the Mets are completely out of it, just that they need a lot more than a single 3rd sacker.

As far as bullpen help, there are a lot more options out there.

I am sure the Braves have some pretty solid pieces available for trades that don’t include their future. Those guys would be held for someone who would be around for more than one half season.

Austin Riley is still a prospect. Who knows if he will be the next great thing on the next almost made it player who did not measure up. So many of those guys who did not perform up to the hype.

Interesting to me that Flaherty has a higher AVG, but lower OBP… but I digress. The point is, neither has inspired much fear in opposing pitchers or managers. It should be noted that those numbers are as 3B only. Camargo’s numbers as SS are much worse. MUCH worse. It’s farily obvious that Camargo is playing everyday for his glove. If it were about the bat, well… you know.

I would love to see him get the rest of the season at AAA, with a possible September callup.

Moose makes alot of sense for this team. I just fear the price for a 3-month rental.

As for Herrera, he’d be a great addition, but I haven’t seen anything connecting the teams. With him entering FA after this season, you know KC is shopping him. And he’ll cost more than Moose will. Bank on that. For one, his current salary is not as costly. More importantly, he’s a lock down reliever. Those are at a premium. I seriously doubt the Braves would pay that freight for 3 months. Not with other contenders vying for him.

But as you said, Gil, the competition for 3B is not nearly as great. I won’t count it out. Not even really the Mutts. They just activated The Toddfather from the DL. They might look at Moose after this season, but probably not during it.

I believe the real tell for the current Braves roster is how well the hit A grade opposing hitters or rather how well the don’t. They can really crush a guy not quite on his game but struggle otherwise. They miss Acuna’s bat. I am not sure what’s going on with Ender but it is telling.

Back to Acuna for a second, even after he comes off the DL, I don’t think he will have his timing down for weeks.

It is nice to see Culberson get some playing time but again, he can get exposed playing everyday. Still, I like his defense no matter where he plays.

One of the problems with trying to make an early trade is that most teams are loath to signal surrender so early in the season. I absolutely kills the attendance unless a team is making way for the next wave of talent. I don’t think the Royals have anyone waiting in the wings to take over the 3rd base slot.

As for Machado, the only way it would make sense to give up talent is if the Braves could also sign him to a long term deal.

I do get where you guys are coming from with Camargo, but…The guy is 24, and has less than a full season of experience in the majors.
But he seems set to be tarred and feathered an extra, a bench player…
another 24 year old that is going to be given every chance in the world to be a starter
179 AB’s, 6 HR’s 25 RBIs
^ Dansby
120 AB’s 5 Hr’s 20 RBI’s
^Camargo

It’s funny, I still don’t know that Dansby is going to be anything special.
I’m not sold at all. would love him to be, but…if he’s a 14 HR’s 62 RBI guy that hits .270, in this day and age..is that any better than average?
But, like I said, he will be afforded a million chances….
Camargo can’t just be the starter for 2 months…he’s got to share it with a guy that will never be the answer at 3rd…

and I’m gonna say it right now….
Gohara WILL be better than anyone else the braves have,
bitter old man out…..

Ber, you make a valid point about Camago being given a chance but I guess it is why the formula for success in the major leagues restricts the number of rookies you have in your everyday line up. Like anything else, experience usually wins out against youth and enthusiasm in the long run.

That is until father time erodes the skills, PEDs staved off the ravages of time but that is an argument for another time.

Like Vee and I have said, it’s not like we don’t like Johan, just not as an everyday player if you want to compete for a pennant.

While Newk is finally coming into his own as a big league pitcher, I still believe it was a mistake to trade Simba….

The difference between Dansby and Johan is that Dansby is performing at the plate now, and Johan is not.

Johan over the last 7 days: .143/.250/.286
Johan over the last 14 days: .191/.283/.404
Johan over the last 28 days: .211/.348/.368

Dansby over the last 7 days: .316/.381/.684
Dansby over the last 14 days: .256/.373/.581
Dansby over the last 28 days: .231/.315/.477

The trends are clear. Dansby is returning to form after a wrist injury. Johan is just… struggling.

And this team is trying to win now. In fact, when Dansby wasn’t performing and Johan was, Johan was getting alot of love, and Dansby was sent to AAA to work it out. But there is a reason these guys are scouted and rated. That’s not to say that they cannot develop beyond expectations (I think Johan has), but Dansby carries some “hit tools” that Johan does not. Those deficiencies get exposed when in the lineup every day. It’s an old, old tale, and it’s showing itself again now.

I think Johan has been given every chance to play everyday and prove himself. He was even officially named the starter by both AA and Snit when Joey Bats was released. The surprising Ryan Flaherty found himself on the bench with very few opportunities since even though he himself was hitting fairly well (.274/.361/.376).

But just to be clear, I’d like nothing better than for Johan to start hitting at the exact same pace that Dansby is hitting. I’d be extremely happy with that. I’d be extremely happy to address 3B from our own 25 man roster. But I will be happiest to get enough productivity from 3B to play in October, whether that comes from within or from the outside.

Maybe, if he can stay on the field. But where has he been? Hurt? In Brazil? He was 2 days late reporting back after being placed on bereavement leave to take care of his mom. The 2nd of those 2 days was the loss that Suck-olovic was forced to pitch multiple innings. The Braves had expected Gohara to be back for that game, but he was not. We sure could have used his “talent”. But thus far, he has not shown himself committed to being in decent athletic shape nor committed to his employer.

You can go back to some past entries of mine regarding Gohara and you’ll find where I predicted him to have a shot at this year’s ROY. I predicted him to be rise to the top of our rotation. I still think he possesses the talent for that. But I find myself now questioning his commitment. He may have immense talent, but he also has an immense waistline and he will not stay healthy until he commits his body to athletic pursuits. See this year’s ankle injury for reference. The hefty lefty was just doing routine fielding drills. Not even in game action. And that was just 2 weeks after after missing significant time in spring when he strained a groin doing routine running in early spring workouts.

As for his failure to report back on time, that’s something he’ll have to come to grips with. I don’t see a level of commitment to his profession from a top prospect that I’d like to see. I see a guy that wants to float by on talent alone. Successful professional athletes show a commitment to win. When Gohara shows that to me, I’ll change my attitude toward him.

This is what Bowman wrote about him just yesterday:

Gohara will need to prove himself before he is given another opportunity to start. There’s no doubt he had a responsibility to care for his mother while he was on bereavement leave. But at the same time, he had to remain a responsible employee. Yes, Brazil’s gas shortage could have factored into him returning to Atlanta two days later than expected. But based on how Gohara pitched Monday night in San Diego, I’m not sure he threw as frequently as he said he did while he was away. You can chalk this up as something you’re going to deal with while handling eager 21-year-olds. But the fact is, Gohara doesn’t appear ready to start right now.

As a person who has always been large, I can attest to the strain a pair of cleats place on a player’s lower body. Especially as I got older, my ankles would ache after playing a game and I was plagued with groin and hamstring ailments.

The thing that concerns me is Gohara looked as if he had actually gained weight during his trip to Brazil. It might have been his lack of commitment to the training table that spurred the Mariners desire to jettison him.

As you said Vee, he is only 21 years old, so perhaps the Braves can convince him it is in his own best interest to take his condition seriously. he is never going to be trim but he doesn’t have to carry an extra 80 pounds around either.

Whew, while coming home from the left coast after losing 4 out of 6 games is not great, it truly could have been worse so I’ll take it.

The Braves get a day off to recover from jet lag to face the Mets who only seem to play well against the Braves.

Now, about 3rd base. Sadly, Austin Reilly managed to set himself back with a sprained PCL. To me it would be a good time for the Braves to take Manny Machado for a test drive. No, he won;t be cheap but quality never is.

Okay, if Machado is too rich for their blood, Moose is still on the loose. To be sure, the Braves will need to upgrade the position if they want to be taken seriously.

The good news: no surgery required.
The bad news: He’ll likely be out at least 6 weeks. That pretty much kills any chance of seeing him before September, and maybe even in September. He certainly will not factor in the Atlanta plans for 2018, so as Gil stated, it probably tilts the scales for AA to bring in a 3B for the playoff push.

The fight in the NL East between the white hat Braves and the black hat Nats will be fierce. If this team wants to truly contend they have to address 3 areas:

First, they better shore up the bullpen. It’s too leaky. The signing of Peter Moylan sounded good in the offseason, but hasn’t born the fruit we’d like to see. Yesterday is a good example. Instead of stopping the bleeding, he ripped the wound a little wider.

Second, address the above mentioned 3B. Johan Camargo plays a fantastic defensive 3B, but is less than fantastic at the plate. He’s OK, but not what you need to make a real play in October. That has to be upgraded.

Last, and maybe not least, they need that venerable veteran starter to lead them across the finish line. Julio has been too inconsistent even when healthy and tossing at 92-94. When he’s down at 86-88, I could hit him. I think there’s an issue in the shoulder. I’d like him to address it now and get it done, not complicate his own injury and give away games by trying to be noble and brave.

So who is out there and might be available?

For 3B, the top candidates are clear – Manny Machado and Mike Moustakas. That’s alot of M’s between them, but also alot of HR’s and W’s. Either would be a great fit, but would also cost a mint… Manny a bit more than Moose. But here’s the problem, there aren’t really any clear 3B trade candidates after them. Moose makes more sense to me as a rental, and a match with KC might be easier. Still, it won’t be cheap. If the Braves want to make a real push in 2018, they will have to pay a price.

For the bullpen, there are alot more candidates. KC’s closer Kelvin Herrera is the top one, but also the most expensive. And in this new era of 6 & 7 inning starters, the 2 inning swing man is becoming more necessary. Holding is at least as important as closing, and maybe even more so. We just witnessed how effective Craig Stammen of the Padres can be. And he has another year remaining on his deal. The Blue Jays have a number of relievers that could be available, and Thoppy has a connection there. Additionally, there will be numerous other relievers available from almost every team that falls out of the race early. They will be the most common trade chips this summer. They almost always are.

As for a starter, this one is the most intriguing. I have said many times that I like Cole Hamels from TEX, but the Jays’ JA Happ is creeping up on my wish list. And Happ would cost considerably less in salary, but maybe more in prospects. There’s also a familiar name in these trade rumor waters in Michael Fulmer. The Tigers failed to trade him when his value was highest, but he’d still be a nice addition, and a change of scenery just might return him to his former shiny self. The price on him will still be high though, as he’s still young and under team control for another 4 years. In other words, he’d be a bit of a dice roll. If he can return to his top form, he could be the steal of the trade season. If not, you could have Julio Teheran V2 for 4 more years. There are certainly no guarantees.

Maybe, if he can stay on the field. But where has he been? Hurt? In Brazil? He was 2 days late reporting back after being placed on bereavement leave to take care of his mom. The 2nd of those 2 days was the loss that Suck-olovic was forced to pitch multiple innings. The Braves had expected Gohara to be back for that game, but he was not. We sure could have used his “talent”. But thus far, he has not shown himself committed to being in decent athletic shape nor committed to his employer.

so, a 21 Y.O. loses his Dad, fears losing his Mom…how are you going to deal with this kind of stress? if not drink, you are gonna eat a ton.
None of what is going on is making it easy to lose weight. Wish he could get his Mom to move here to the states.
I just fear this is going to be a lost season…
Sean Newcomb is 25, Folty is 26, and aren’t fat. we could have easily traded both of them during the offseason, but likely wouldn’t have gotten much for them…
so, lets hold onto the 21/22 year old awhile ok?
if you want to trade someone, trade Soroka for a rental…

Ber, you seem to think I don’t like Gohara. That’s not true. I’m not fond of his training habits, or lack thereof, but I do believe has talented. But if – IF – you have to trade a young pitcher, who are you trading instead? Newcomb? Footy? Soroka? Allard? Wright? I’m a “no” on all those…

No, I think the talent to be traded will be someone other then grade A prime. Lots of talented pitchers in the Braves minor leagues. I’m sure other teams ore looking to get the next Adam Wainwright and the Braves are not willing to do that.

While not in the Braves plans for this season, I still think they would like to get Realamuto from the fish. I understand the Nits are going hard after him too.

While the Braves current catching corp is holding their own, both Flowers and Zuke are getting older by the day.

Before Gohara? Yep….I like Soroka, he was awesome his first game. So was Blair, Wisler, etc…. the other 2, I have not seen. so I just can’t say…they can’t all be sub 3.00 ERA, 18 game winners…
but , why give up someone that good for a 2-3 month rental?
Unless they will really push you over the top. I HATE Machacho…..I’ll never forgive him for back to back overswings that hit a catcher and knocked him out….of the game, and a few afterwards….compared to steroids/HGH, knocking the ball out of the 1st baseman’s mitt (a terrible crime against baseball for some reason) it’s #1 with a bullet for despicablility (not a word?)
He’d of course make the biggest impact player, by far…but, as a known loser, he’d probably choke when the game was on the line….
Rather have Moose….Would they take Camargo, and some starter not listed above? I mean, the braves could have had him for a song during the offseason….well, a draft pick too….
IF Moose tears the cover off the ball, you could sign him to a 2-3 year deal (still never know if a 21 YO will hit at the big league level) and trade him next year or 2020….

You know, if the 2 catchers keep on keepin’ on (and lets face it, they are not getting the wear and tear a “normal” catcher would get) why not keep them, unless there is some super stud can’t miss catcher that some team would be willing to trade him for Soroka, or the other 2 top prospects mentioned above….

Good opine Ber, not that I agree with all of it but that’s okay, still thought provoking.

So, imagine all the blowback AA gets everyday not to mention the 800 pound gorilla in the room that Liberty Media is a publicly owned corporation which is responsible to their share holders (ie: that have to show a profit)

Just a reminder to be sure to vote for your favorites for the All-star game. You can only cast five votes per day for a total of 35. I am not going to play the multiple e-mail game but I am voting for those I deem worthy.

Glad to see many agree with most of my choices, I have not voted for Bryce Harper nor Buster Posey. I did vote for Realamuto as catcher.

Well, a week after the draft, the thing to look for is who is signed and for what amount. Because the Braves were penalized their 3rd round pick, they were also penalized that amount from their total draft pool allotment, which is $8,267,300. It is possible to go over that amount by 5%, or a total of $8,680,665, without significant penalties. Over that, though, the penalty results in a loss of pick next year. Nobody wants that. Only the 1st 10 picks count toward that allotment, plus anyone 11 and beyond that signs for over $125K bonus.

Anyway, the early reports are not too detailed right now as you might imagine, but here’s what we have found so far:

Most of the 39 picks will sign. The first pick for them that they know will not sign is from Round 28, RHP Derek West, a college junior from Pitt. He’s returning for his senior season. Past that there are a handful of HS picks in late (34+) rounds that will attend college instead. Those are not unexpected. It’s rare for a late pick HS’er to choose a tiny signing bonus if the have a college offer in hand.

You may have noticed above that the Braves went overslot to sign their Round 5 pick, RHP Trey Riley. He’s another guy that their scouts ranked highly. In fact some MLB scouts, according to published reports, had him ranked as a 3rd round talent. By all accounts, the Braves were quite happy with the quality of their draft, particularly the Top 10, even in light of the lack of a 3rd round pick.

There is no understating the importance of a good scouting department.

First, wow. That’s pretty amazing that the Braves have such a presence on that list while our emerging team is already making an impact at the ML level.

Second, fresh off the HS field Carter Stewart made the Top 100. Gotta get that kid signed. Pronto.

Third, Kolby Allard has dropped to 105? I don’t get it. He has dominated at every level in which he has pitched while climbing the ladder to the precipice of making his ML debut. He has a 4 year minor league ERA of under 3 at 2.85, including this year’s 2.22 at AAA. He has a career WHIP of 1.167 including this year’s 1.101. He has a career K/BB rate of 3.15 including this year’s 2.32. He is ready to make his ML debut, there just isn’t any room at the inn for him at the moment. He is the Braves’ #2 prospect on their own team rankings, ahead of every other player on that list except RAJ. You know what that tells me? The SABRE-wonks still can’t look up from their spreadsheets long enough to actually watch a baseball game. I weep for them.

Allard at #105???? I’d willing to bet 29 other GMs would love to have a kid with that much talent at 105. I am of a mind that someone just got lazy and thought, who is this guy Allard? Oh well, I’ll just add him at 105 and follow him…. Or not…

If there are 8 other pitchers in the Braves organization better than him, well, WOW!

Rough translation of what Kim & his generals said after meeting:
Generals: Why did U sign the document before we had a chance to read it?
Kim: I couldn’t help it, he’s just so GOOD at this! I think I agreed to give up my nukes and buy a timeshare condo at a Trump resort!

Wow, wasn’t that fun last night? Okay, a bit of a downer when Folty was lifted after 5 scoreless and Jesse Biddle gave up 2 runs. Could have been worse if not for the above mentioned DP turned by Camargo’s great play.

Ozzie was only 1 for 5 but that 1 was a real doozie.

Charlie Culberson continues to hit the ball hard and his twin Dansby is seeing a resurgence.

And what about those two clutch dying quails Ender hit last night for RBIs? Those were big, especially the first one when it looked as if the Braves were going to once again waste a bases loaded with no outs opportunity.

That’s the only downside to the new park… parking during the business day. The Braves co-op many of their parking lots from the neighboring office towers. It’s why you can’t park in many until after 5pm for all the regular night games. But during the business day? If I understand correctly, there are only 2 lots available for parking today, both requiring pre-purchase passes. Otherwise, you better use the peripheral Uber-lots or figure another way in. Cobb County has their own transit system, so that is also an option.

The #Braves today returned RHP Mike Soroka from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the 10-day disabled list. In order to make room on the active roster, the club designated RHP Luke Jackson for assignment.

Jackson is a victim of numbers. He’s thrown very well at AAA, but in his previous stints in ATL, has given up too many free passes. He looked pretty good last night. Still, he has options, so he’s the man on the Cobb-Gwinnett shuttle.

Ronald Acuña doing sprints around the infield this morning. Said yesterday he was feeling really good and he wasn't feeling pain when he was running. Hopes to begin a rehab assignment later this week/weekend. #Braves@680TheFan

Good morning all, The Fathers come to town tonight with a bit of a tail wind. They are playing better so like everything else, the games will be decided on the field… Okay, some of them are decided in New York with the video review crowd but for the most part, on the field… 🙂

Now, which starters will be moved to make room for Soroka’s return to the rotation? Folty could be skipped a turn, Sanchez pitches tonight, McCarthy? Julio? Newk is strong right now. There are still 6 guys in 5 slots.

If all 6 starters are healthy, and that’s always a big IF, it’s likely somebody gets traded. You know that Folty, Newk and Soroka are locks for the new rotation. Those are the building blocks for the future. Julio probably is still in that conversation as well, especially since his trade value is in the toilet. Nobody really wants a pitcher that pitches in the low 90’s when healthy, but has lived in the high 80’s in recent days. Nobody this side of the Mississippi River expects Brandon McCarthy to remain with the Braves past the July trade deadline, but it’s probably a bit early for his market to develop.

The odd man out to me is Anibal Sanchez. And let’s be honest… we’re all waiting for that bubble to burst anyway. After all, we picked him up off the scrap heap after he was dumped by the Twins in spring. His trade value won’t bring you back a top prospect, but he should get something from a team desperate for starting pitching. And there are a couple of those out there. The situation reminds me a little of Jhoulys Chacin in 2016. We got back RP Adam McCreery from the Halos for Chacin, and he’s still working his way through our system, currently at the AA level as a late inning reliever.

Speaking of Anibal Sanchez, he toes the rubber again for us tonight. Let’s all hold our collective breath that he has another good outing with no injuries. Then we can trade him to the Angels. 😀

As for the upcoming games…

Bowman: McCarthy completed his normal between-starts bullpen session yesterday. So, I’d expect he’ll start tomorrow’s game against the Padres. This would set up Newcomb to start with an extra day of rest on Saturday. Teheran could then come off the DL to start Sunday.

These things have a way of sorting themselves out though. While you never wish bad health on anyone, injuries are just a part of the game and are going to occur. You can only hope it’s not to your stud.

Update: Not much changed from 1st report except we now know the amount for Greyson Jenista. He was well underslot, which will certainly help offset Trey Riley and aid signing Tristan Beck, who should command overslot.

He was considered a “Day 2” pick. Why did the Braves take him on Day 1 in Round 10? Well, he’s no slouch and is a decent looking player, but he’s also a college senior with no leverage. That combination is not unfamiliar to the Braves, who did the same thing in last year’s draft. His certain underslot deal will help make others work.

The local sports radio station opened their afternoon drive-time show with discussion of the Braves rotation. They basically discussed for 5 minutes everything we have mentioned here on the ol’ B&S today. I’m glad we could provide show notes for the home team. 😉

And after watching Anibal Sanchez completely frustrate the Pads hitters last night, I am coming to realize that he is giving us this year exactly what we wanted Bartolo Colon to give us last year. Not just the well pitched games like he showed last night, but real leadership to our young pitchers as well. It is being widely reported now that he is a great clubhouse presence to them all, especially young Mike Soroka.

The more this season unfolds, the more “magical” it is shaping up. You can’t write this script, and you sure couldn’t predict it before the season began. Sanchez, Ozzie, Dans, Johan, Newk, Folty, etc. Nobody expected to get anything close to what these guys are giving us, not to mention Freddie, Ender and FloZuki doing what we expect them too. And Kakes? Who knew? Add to that the rookie production from Soroka and RAJ, somewhat anticipated yet actually coming to fruition.

This season is starting to get “that” feel to it. Do you remember “that” feel? It’s been about 27 years, but I remember it.

Luke Jackson did clear waivers on Tuesday and was outrighted to AAA. He does have the option to refuse the assignment (since it’s the 2nd time this season for him) and opt for free agency. There has not been any announcement or additional news on that front.

Speaking of waiver claims, yesterday the Mets claimed RHRP Chris Beck off waivers from the Pale Hose. Why is this significant? Well, it’s significant to me at least. Beck is from right here in God’s country and our state champion local HS team. He had a bit of an up and down time with CHW. I hope he gets on track with the Mutts… just not against us.

Major League Baseball has moved methodically to eliminate many distinctions between the American and National leagues in recent years, and Thursday, Commissioner Rob Manfred indicated there is momentum toward perhaps the most significant such move: a unified designated hitter.

“I think that is a continuing source of conversation among the ownership group and I think that the dialogue actually probably moved a little bit,” said Manfred at the conclusion of the quarterly owners’ meeting on Thursday.

I am a purist at heart. I hate turf; I hate domes. But in recent years, I have come to appreciate the retractable dome, as in Miami. It just rains to dang much there. I suppose the same could be said about the DH. In the past, I would just about fight you over that topic. But… I’m older and the game has continued to change. Defenses are better, defensive alignments are tougher, and pitchers simply do not work on being decent hitters. Most aren’t even decent bunters anymore. In Boeck’s piece, he alludes to the fact that pitchers are striking out now more than ever at a rate of 42.5% of their AB’s.

And let’s face it, the pitcher these days gets PH’d for after about 2 AB’s anyway. Maybe, just maybe if we adopt he DH across the board, starting pitchers might go another inning or so into their games. Maybe even 2. If that can be a byproduct, I can live with it.

Vee, I think we have been beaten into submission on the DH conundrum. It does give players like Matt Adams a place to play without hurting the team, same could be said for Matt Kemp. Heck, maybe even I could have had a career as a DH, lord knows my weak arm was a detriment to my playing time…

I think there are some other things that could be added to make the game better like have a 25 man eligible roster for each game but a 30 ML roster. That is, no more than 25 guys playing in any one game but 5 extra guys you could substitute for an injury (not in the same game) but heck, add 1 to the everyday roster and let teams carry three catchers.

Really glad to see Julio get back up to speed, still a little wild but no hitter thru six will work. Viz still scares me…

So, a day off tomorrow and then two games in Toronto against the Jay Birds. Then, another day off, I fear the schedule will get meaner later in the season.

Looks like the Braves did a little roster shuffling. Gohara sent back to Triple A and Jackson opted for free agency, forcing the Braves’ hand so they signed him to a major league contract. I hope Luke earns his keep.

Folty placed on the 10 day DL retro active to June 13th. Looks like he will miss a start and then we will see if McCarthy is moved to the pen. The Braves bull pen is like 28th out of 30 ML teams as far as ERA. I feel like Earl Weaver sometimes watching the Braves non-starters come in…

Think Gohara needed to go back….he just doesn’t have that 97-98 MPH fastball right now….
speaking of fastballs, Julio T, in the 2 innings I was able to see of him, did touch 93 1 time (did he do that more than once?) I saw some 91s mainly, but really pinpoint control….

Julio was missing arm side a lot, several deep counts but managed to get a much needed strike out on change ups and sliders on the corners. I would say he threw consistently at 91-92 mph with a bit of movement. Enough to keep a good hitting Padres team hit-less for 6 innings.

And Luiz picked a really bad year to fail to meet expectations. He allowed Newk and Soroka to blow past him, and Folty to increase his lead. Now Allard is nipping at his heals.

In fact, Gohara is becoming an afterthought. The talk now is that the Braves have 6 starters – those being Julio, Folty, Newk, Sanchez, Soroka and McCarthy – with Allard being ready to move up but with no place to go.

Nobody talks much about Gohara, except in the context of “we have to get him innings; we have to get him going.” It’s a really bad year to fall back in the pack.

I believe Ber was onto something with his Gohara/comfort food correlation. I also agree that his weight gain resulting in a loss of velocity is a valid opine by Vee. It would behoove the Braves to hook him up with a grief councilor and a nutritionist as well as a pitching coach. Until the team can get to the root of the problem, the problem will persist.

I would like to see the above graphic on Gohara’s fastball average velocity side-by-side with a graphic on his weight gain. I think you would see a correlation.
V, Gohara is 6’3, and only 210 pounds 😛

Gil, when I was 38 , my Mom died after a long , terrible illness where Dad and I were taking care of her round the clock….after her death, I gained about 30 pounds in a few months…granted, I was older, but I became diabetic, was on BP meds, a few years later ended up with fatty liver disease for a time, til I lost 25 pounds.
If I was 21, and had lost my Dad suddenly during the offseason, and my Mom had open heart surgery, and had to leave her to go to another country for my job…I’d be a wreck. I would be no good at said job
. Sure wish he could get her and I assume siblings, up here….
Gohara is still only 21. Still shouldn’t throw more than say 175 innings, if that…should be safe there….he may be an afterthought, now but that’s ok
if his stuff comes back , he will be just fine, and will find a way into the rotation, either late this year, or next. Won’t trade for anything at this point anyways…
Soroka is still only 20 til August…the unique situation of so many young guys, during a playoff run….going to be interesting, if nothing else

I know V touched on the Happ vs Hamels a while back…I thought I had heard Hamels velo(if you can’t beat em, join em) was down…
His ERA is fine, 3.69…one number jumped out at me though…he has given up 18 HR’s(in 85 innings) already, the same as he gave up all of last year in 140 + innings. in 2008, he gave up a career high 28. Other than inningswise, is he really going to make the team much better?
Happ in roughly the same number of innings, 10 HR’s. both pitch decently in the AL, so all teams will be interested. MLBTR has a link to a story about the Mariners and Yankees are looking into Happ….he won’t be cheap

My thinking has changed somewhat on adding a veteran rotation piece for the stretch run this year. Prior to Saturday’s gem by Newk (0 R, 7 IP) and yesterday’s 6 innings of no hit effort by Julio, the Braves starters were sporting a 27-16 record with a collective 3.35 ERA, 4th lowest in all of MLB. Needless to say they did not lose ground in that department over the weekend. Is is dicey to go into September with such a young rotation? Yes it absolutely is. But they have been soooo good. And how are they supposed to gain the experience if they’re not allowed to carry it to the finish?

Although Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos has several areas of his roster that he could address in the coming weeks, a source with knowledge of the Braves’ thinking doesn’t anticipate a series of major moves coming between now and July 31.

“They can address a lot of areas, but they’re not going to be able to address a lot of areas,” the source said. “In a perfect world, they could use a bullpen guy, a front-of-the-rotation starter and a big bat, but they’re not going to have the dollars to fill all those spots. They also don’t want to use that much prospect capital to fill that many holes.”

With their rebuild moving faster than expected, the Braves also plan to wait until mid-to-late July before making any move.

“They’ll likely wait as long as they can because between now and July, there could be more players get injured, there could be dips in performance, things like that,” the source said. “The needs today could be different than they are three or four weeks from now. The longer they wait, the more clearly defined the needs will be.”

“They only have so many resources, whether it’s money they can take on in salary or total players they’ll be willing to move,” the source said. “What if they make the move in June and then in July, it turns out that wasn’t the primary need? Look at the Twins last year; they made a deal for Jaime Garcia and then turned around a week later and traded him away. [The Braves are] playing the slow game.”

Bullpen. Focus on the bullpen. Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo says A’s closer Blake Treinen is “likely to be available”. I’ll line up my resources for him. He’s under team control through 2020 and on a (relatively) cheap salary this season at $2.15M. He’s got a 1.06 ERA and a very shiny 0.941 WHIP thus far in 2018, with 40 K’s in 34.0 IP. In my opinion, not that anyone asked, Treinen would be a nice counterpunch to WAS acquiring Kelvin Herrera.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Facebook unveiled a newly expanded partnership for the 2018 MLB season, highlighted by a historic agreement to produce and broadcast one game every week to a global audience on Facebook. This 25-game package of weekly broadcasts will be distributed exclusively on Facebook Watch in the United States via the MLB Live show Page.

In the U.S., the live video of these games will exclusively be accessible on Facebook Watch and will not be available on television or any other digital platforms such as MLB.TV and MLB At Bat.

There will be no blackout restrictions in the U.S. as every game will be available to every person on Facebook in the U.S.

Fans who do not have a Facebook account may listen to the live local radio broadcasts on multiple platforms or follow pitch-by-pitch tracking on MLB.com and MLB At Bat. – In addition, full game archives will be available 90 minutes after the game ends on MLB.TV and MLB At Bat (subscription required).

It sure was nice to see the bottom half of the order crushing the ball last night. Sometimes you get the feeling that opposing teams take the lower half for granted. Of course, not having a sure out hitting in the 9 hole makes a difference too.

That kid Charlie Culberson is a ball player. No, he won’t be confused with the pro typical big bopper in left field but he seems to give a good at bat everytime, well, except maybe last week end when he swung at missed three pitches that were 12 inches off the plate inside. Dude looked seriously over matched.

Too bad for Soroka he could not complete the 5th inning to get a win last night but he pitched a typical rookie game, one good one, two bad ones… last night was a bad one. To be sure, the Jays were teeing off on his slider. That’s okay, he can put that one in the rear view mirror of life and get ready for his next game.

Woo hoo, didn’t Camargo give good account for himself last night? Crushed a 3-2 pitch for a grand salami…. That was what one would term, a no doubter.

Good to see Sam Freeman back on the beam too. He must have been suffering from some sort of muscle tweak the past couple of weeks. He sure looked good last night though. Same goes for Peter Moylan.

I think we are all waiting to see the collapse of this year’s team but it hasn’t happen yet and who knows? For sure, after the collapse of 2011, I don’t take anything for granted.

Maybe the Braves don’t need a third baseman: Johan Camargo batted ninth for the Braves as they blew out the Blue Jays 11-4, and he went 4-for-5 with five RBIs.

The kid is getting some national recognition. And as you have all witnessed, he’s changed my mind. No, he’s not your prototypical 3B. But he gets hits when we need hits, and nobody plays better D at the hot corner. I’m still trying to figure out where that 4th decker came from. That ball was absolutely blasted. It was Acuña-esque.

The kid is getting some national recognition. And as you have all witnessed, he’s changed my mind. No, he’s not your prototypical 3B. But he gets hits when we need hits, and nobody plays better D at the hot corner. I’m still trying to figure out where that 4th decker came from. That ball was absolutely blasted. It was Acuña-esque.

Bout time! 😛 I was actually starting to lose a bit of faith, average hasn’t been going up, was thinking he’d likely get traded for another 3rd baseman (still might happen) he seemingly killed a ball the other day that barely hit the wall, was thinking he needed to hit the weights, then hit’s a 4th decker, and seemed to be just a bit in front of it? wow….

V, I was at work (could have probably listened, I can’t listen to the radio via my phone) so didn’t put on facebook…who was doing the game play by play?

DeRo was there, Ber, and two others I didn’t know. Let’s just say that I sure missed Skip and the Professor. But what a treat to see the Braves on the field, even if they did lose. You know, it seems that when I could see a game last year, they lost that one, too. Hmmmm.

sigh….if we lose to the Nats by 3-4 games….at least Liberty has a bunch more money in the bank….The Braves didn’t make a strong effort to acquire Kelvin Herrera before he was traded to the division-rival Nationals, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While the Atlanta front office liked Herrera’s arm very much, O’Brien notes that assuming his remaining $4.4MM salary (which the Nats were willing to do) would’ve burned through the majority of the funds the team has available to upgrade via trade this summer. That would seem to suggest that the Braves may struggle to land any big-budget players as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches. Certainly, given the team’s place atop the NL East standings, they’ll look to improve to whatever extent possible, but it appears that finances will be a fairly notable factor in any moves the team does make.

Well, Liberty itself is just an entity, not a living being, thus doesn’t possess anything. But I’m sure the shareholders are happy that the men who run it are being responsible with their investments. 😉

We knew the purse strings would be tight this year because of the trade to dump Kemp’s salary and essentially compact the 2 remaining years of his commitment into 2018. This is no surprise at all. But all of that comes off the books going into 2019. That’s when we’ll be able to judge the intent.

One would think the Braves could have a little more wiggle room closer to July 31 if they can trade Brandon McCarthy, which I am sure was the original plan before we found ourselves fully in contention. That could alter the team’s intent to sell veterans again at the deadline. But it still could happen if it can help the team fill a need, like a late inning bullpen arm. BM’s 2018 salary is $11.5M… or roughly $5.75M for the rest of the season. But LA kicked in $4.5M of it at trade tim. One has to wonder first if they can or will even trade McCarthy, and second how much of the remainder of his salary – $5.75 or less, a potential employer will want to be responsible for. At any rate, having just another $1M to work with could pay for A’s closer Blake Treinen. Speculation is that he could be had for a pitcher outside the team’s Top 10 – Kyle Muller or Bryce Wilson. Remember, too, that Treinen is under team control through 2020, so he isn’t a half season rental. Perhaps Thoppy could even engineer a deal that would send McCarthy to a team like Seattle desperate for a starting pitcher, bringing back a prospect to replace Muller or Wilson at a lower minor league level where we’re less than stocked, then acquiring Treinen for us. Makes sense to me, anyway. But then again, it’s always easier from my desk. Not so much from desks of the real executives who live and die on these moves.

I’m sure that the Braves weren’t keen on taking on the remaining $4.4M of Kelvin Herrera’s salary, but did you even see what WAS gave up for him for just a half season?

First, the opinions are all over the board of course. But the fact is that all 3 of the prospects sent by WAS were in their Top 30. And that’s from a system that is talented. Two of them have already slotted to KC’s #8 and #15. Jon Heyman was succinct in his summation: Perkins is a CF, Gutierrez a 3B and Morel a RHP. (A) scout from another team: all three will be major leaguers.

The equivalent from ATL would have been Christian Pache, Travis Demeritte, and Freddy Tarnok. There is no way on God’s green earth I would have given that up for a half season of anybody short of Mike Trout. Not even Manny Machado.

So while DOB was playing up the payroll aspect – not a big surprise from the guy writing for the ultra-liberal AJC – I would bet the mortgage it had a whole lot more to do with prospect capital than liquid capital.

One other thing we have to remember, too. WAS is going all in for 2018 because their window of contention is closing. Once Bryce Harper leaves at season’s end, the team will start a downward trend. They need to make their push right now. The Braves on the other hand are in the opposite position and heading the opposite direction. Heck, we may even have Harper ourselves next year. You never know. 😀

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos had an interesting chat with David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an appearance on the latter’s Truth, Lies & Sacrifice Flies Podcast. It’s essential listening for Braves fans, but we’ll highlight a few notes of broader consequence here.

On the subject of the upcoming trade deadline, Anthopoulos emphasized that the team is focused less on salary — though that’s certainly still a factor — than on carefully managing its “prospect capital.” As he explained it, particularly with amateur penalties slowing the farm intake and an ongoing need for affordable MLB depth, the front office will be calculated in dispensing with its young talent in trades.

While he did not really discuss the matter directly, Anthopoulos suggested that the organization knew what it would have taken to land Herrera. Obviously, the Braves decided not to pay it. With over a month left until the deadline and limited flexibility to make additions, it seems the Atlanta brain trust decided to save its chips.

I was reading on the AJC site that attendance and TV viewership is up for Los Bravos.. DUH! Winning is and has always been the best form of promotion. Watching your team lose all the time is depressing. The only people who have that sort of devotion are parents, grand parents and spouses…

So, another free night with the Braves off again. I hope the guys all get recharged and can come out and kick butt Friday night.

The Braves announced Acuna will begin his rehab assignment with Gwinnett during tomorrow’s doubleheader. First game is scheduled for 5:05 pm. This seems to set up the possibility he could be back in Atlanta’s lineup by Monday.

The equivalent from ATL would have been Christian Pache, Travis Demeritte, and Freddy Tarnok. There is no way on God’s green earth I would have given that up for a half season of anybody short of Mike Trout. Not even Manny Machado.

Really V? I hate Manny M, but I’d make that trade . Travis , after hitting .231 last year at AA, is hitting .221 this season.
I know we have heard a lot of good things about Christian Pache, but he has no power at this point (4 homers this year, the first of his career) 5 steals, caught 5 times….275 BA.

I think what peeved me at the time about the Royals closer going to the Nats, was Jim Bowden was on baseball tonight Sunday( he was apparently rehired by ESPN, how odd) and talked about how Thoppy had no trouble pulling the trigger on deals, mentioning getting David Price (completely forgot about that) and Tulo in deals….scares me a bit, but sounds interesting….everyone needs bullpen arms, and it still seems to me, in spite of the 3 guys will all be ML guys, they too don’t look that impressive, statwise…
Don’t want to see future rotation guys traded away so another team eats salary, and liberty gets to save some bucks….
we shall see….

The Royals’ Double-A affiliate announced yesterday that they’ve traded minor league outfielder Brandon Downes to the Braves. A return wasn’t specified, though presumably there’ll be cash or a player to be named later going back to the Kansas City organization to complete the deal. The 25-year-old Downes was Kansas City’s seventh-round pick in 2014 but entered the 2018 season with just five games played above Class-A Advanced. He’s hitting .198/.284/.365 in 111 PAs between Class-A Advanced and Double-A this season (including a 1-for-4 debut yesterday for Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate. Baseball America rated him as Kansas City’s No. 24 prospect four years ago, praising his solid-average speed and above-average power potential, though Downes has yet to deliver on that upside.

Baseball-Reference has this guy listed as “Outfielder and Relief Pitcher”. Wonder which one we traded for? Well, considering his RP consists of 1/3 IP, I am guessing the OF part.

The Braves have once again placed Soroka on the DL with right shoulder inflammation.Danny Santana was promoted from Gwinnett. Soroka’s fastball dipped down to 90 mph during the fifth inning of Tuesday’s start

I’ll say….2 great starts (figures Cobb and his 7 ERA would get healthy against the braves, but he really did look good last night) 1-1 after 7 then some braves magic made it 3-1…but the worst team in all of baseball found some magic and then some…7-3 Orioles , and I gave up(If we lose the division by 1, sure glad we saved Liberty some money, and still have Travis D)….Dad said, don’t you want to see if they come back? COME BACK? 7-3 in the 9th against their closer? No way….so, watched the excellent Charles Krauthammer special on Fox (what he was able to do with just a tiny bit of movement of both hands, beyond amazing) still had it on fox sports…it was now 7-7 in the 10th!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wha??????? So, ran the game back to see the braves amazing 9th (and see FF thrown out at home, otherwise braves win) then back to real time…and watched, and watched, and watched….mind you , I woke up at 4 am well before my alarm…only to see Dumbo hit a 2 run homer (Moylen looked terrible, no control, hit 1 guy, nearly hit another, but he was the last guy) not a fun game…since I imagine sane folks were in bed when the game ended around 1 am, Viz has a sore shoulder, hasn’t been in a game for about a week….shoulda DL’ed him. were short 2 arms…
like you said Gil, another game today…4 pm start…for some reason. Is that the new time for Sat home games? Gonna be lots of folks going to and fro Gwinnett…..

Okay posting from my phone after church outside a Greek restaurant so expect many and there I’m really glad I missed yesterday’s game I did see the Grand Slam did know about the walks. David I don’t think Jackson was available I don’t know what happened signing that deal but he was not one of the arms and less he came in earlier but it was ugly in short two pictures is not a good thing. But I do see they’re off to an early to nothing lead so hopefully they’re not swept by a team 30 games under 500

well….that’s about as many errors in one post as I have ever made! 😛
I did NOT know about the walks before the Grand Slam. Gil is not David. That was supposed to be being 2 pitchers short is not a good thing…sigh…posting outside quickly with the sun on the screen…at least there weren’t any curse words! 🙂

Missed the game today too, but sure glad that they won one game at least against the feared Orioles.
I’d like to see the worst football team in….football, beat the best team, or a top 5 team. Just doesn’t happen…at least not like it does in the grand ol game of baseball…

I want to be a little angry at AA for not placing Viz on the DL earlier, thus putting Snit in a bind when it comes to his bullpen. But when your pitcher shows up pregame – according to reports – and tells the manager he “can’t go today”, you end up with a 74 year old Peter Moylan soft-tossing against a powerful lineup. It irks me when players hide injuries and ailments. In my opinion, it’s the same as placing their own self-interest above the team.

On a similar topic, Jon Heyman is reporting that the Braves were in fact in the game for KC’s Kelvin Herrera, just not willing to match what the Nats gave up for the half season rental. Heyman also speculates that those discussions may have layed some groundwork toward possible future Moustakas discussions. It’s not clear if that’s his personal speculation or if there is any grip behind the thought.

Heyman also notes in his thoughts that AA’s past actions would point toward him utilizing his big starting prospects in relief roles this year rather than paying the exorbitant cost on the trade market. As we all have discussed already, Kolby Allard looks ready for his ML debut, but the rotation is crowded. Thus he could make his entrance as a reliever. We might also see Max Fried again.

I’m not opposed to either of those things happening.

Speaking of a crowded rotation, I’m beginning to get a little concerned over the rash of shoulder ailments. Is it just me, or are there more this year than in previous years? Maybe I’m just not remembering well.

Anyway, it seems that the team’s “problem” of too many starters is not a problem at all… validating the old saying that you can never have too many. You really can’t. You can, however, have to many starters on the DL. let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

I heard a commentator on either TV or radio, can’t remember specifically, noting that Julio appeared to have dropped his arm slot slightly in Saturday’s start, thus his hand was more on the side of the ball rather than over the top. The more “sideward” spin negated the late movement of his normal fastball. It also took the bite off his slider. The same commentator was able to back up his point when Julio suddenly corrected the angle the following inning and sent the O’s down in order. He then regressed back to the lower slot in the next one and got knocked out of the game. It was an astute observation and very timely. Unfortunately, it was also at the cost of 7 runs.

Here’s an expanded list of relievers to follow in advance of the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

Blake Treinen, AthleticsTreinen never seized the closer’s role over 3 1/2 seasons with the Nationals, but he’s thriving in the ninth inning now. Treinen’s SO/9 and SO/W rates are the best of his career by a substantial margin. He’s comfortable pitching at the end of games (17 of 19 in save opportunities) and has prior postseason experience. Oakland could decide to move Treinen now, with his value at an all-time high and a significant raise coming in 2019 through salary arbitration. The Red Sox and Indians are good fits for Treinen, since their closers are due to hit free agency after this season.

I think we’ve been talking about Treinen for a couple of weeks, haven’t we? These national guys need to catch up. Problem is, the more he gets talked up, the higher his trade cost becomes.

What we truly need is for Minter and Winkler to step up and fill the closer role capably. What a shot in the arm that would be!

By the way, I failed to mention the callup of Evan Phillips. We’ve mentioned him here before (because we love our prospects and obsess over them). I think he will help this bullpen. He has the potential to be a 2-3 inning guy if necessary. That’s his best role.

Yes Vee, you are ahead of the game when it comes to potential fits for the Braves. I know many want Thoppy to make some additions but like he said, he does to want to use his prospects capital too soon. Once they are gone, they are gone.

I don’t think he is going to hit on too many “found money” acquisitions like Anibal Sanchez.

So, I guess what the Braves are hoping is one or two of their young pitchers will be able to fill some spots in the pen.

By the way, I failed to mention the callup of Evan Phillips. We’ve mentioned him here before (because we love our prospects and obsess over them). I think he will help this bullpen. He has the potential to be a 2-3 inning guy if necessary. That’s his best role.

And of course he was optioned back to Gwinnett today to make room for Folty, who has been activated from the DL and will start tonight vs. the Reds.

IMO, the beleaguered Braves bullpen could use Phillips right now. And Peter Moylan could use a long vacation a/k/a retirement. But I’m not the GM, so…

AJC: Luiz Gohara exited his start at Triple-A after just 2-2/3 innings Monday. Gohara was not injured, according to a person familiar with the situation, and will make his next scheduled start. He left after 42 pitches.

I can almost guarantee that Lucas Sims will be headed back to AAA today. Should have kept Evan Phillips up. It’s his time.

And hopefully A-Train is working the phones hard. This pen needs help. Sims is clearly not the answer, Moylan is good for only one out, and the magic Sam Freeman found in 2017 has thus far eluded him in 2018.

Yes Vee, I was very frustrated by Simms’ effort. I found myself booing at the TV. Yes, it was a small strike zone last night but many of his pitches were clearly out of the zone and not competitive.

Relievers need to have the ability to challenge hitters. Nibblers can get by as a starter but major league hitters can simply out wait a guy who is relying on the umpire to help them out. Late walks are killers.

V, yeah, don’t get bringing Evan Phillips up and not even using him…
Moylan can still be effective when a DP is needed, or a tough rightie….just have to have other people available at the end of game, or in extras…sorta like having me on the bench and putting me in to steal 2nd…not a good idea 😛
with Gohara, perhaps they are slowly stretching him out?
I actually got to see Ozzie’s homer…it was low and inside, a lefty’s sweet spot, except it was really low….it was a good pitch. And a great win!

They say they used to bring up starters to the bigs as bullpen arms( I honestly don’t recall this happening much, I am quite young you know 😛 ) …it makes sense to do this for the braves cuz so many arms are soooo young, and you have to keep their arms from having 175+ Innings at say 20, 21….
What I wonder though is are guys coming up that have NEVER come out of the pen before? Meaning…a Wisler , Sims, etc just pitched 6 innings, at AAA, and then come up to pitch to big leaguers , in the 4th, 5th inning, when they just haven’t done that before. If they aren’t gonna start, why not have them come out of the bullpen 2-3 times there, then come up and be a bullpen arm?
I may have used too many words to make this pint….but you get the point. 😉

I think both team and individual would benefit greatly from pitchers coming up and working out of the pen initially. Not only does it give you big league experience, it allows the team to benefit from your talents.

Part of learning to be a ML starter is learning how to pitch through the lineup multiple times. It’s a lost art! And that’s not necessarily on the pitchers. I put that on the “modern” stats and “modern” management, both on the field and in the offices. Modern stats point to the trend that a hitter’s performance against a pitcher increases dramatically in the 3rd AB against him. So managers now take that out of the pitcher’s hands, pun fully intended, and go to the pen. Pitchers simply no longer need to learn how to face a batter multiple times because they know they won’t be around that long anyway.

Greg Maddux used multiple appearances to his own favor. He would pitch a batter a certain way early in the game in such a manner as to set him up for something totally different late in the game when it was on the line. Granted there is only one Greg Maddux, but with the way pitchers are handled in this modern age of SABRE, the chances of another Doggy coming around the bend is waning quickly.

But I digress…

To the earlier point, allowing a kid like Max Fried or Kolby Allard to observe from the Major League sidelines, be mentored by guys who have been through the battles, then get their own small samples of experience cannot be replicated mowing down AAA hitters, regardless of how successful they might be.

So, the Rays defeat the Nits 1 zip, third straight loss for Schurzer… who would have thunk it? Baseball is weird alright. So, the Nits fall another 1/2 game behind the Braves and the Frillies face the Yankees again tonight prior to the boys from DC coming in to the City of Brotherly Love for a four game set.

The best scenario? Phils lose tonight and then split the series with Washington while the Braves win the next seven in a row… yeah, that’ll do it…

Good morning…. So, the real problem with the Braves appears to be the old bug-a-boo which has plagued the team for years now. Being unable to cash in on scoring opportunities. The return of Acuna should alleviate some of that. After all, when your pinch hitting options consist of Flaherty and Bourjos.

I also think Freddie’s wrist is bothering him, it goes back to the awkward slide at the plate a week ago. I think he jammed it.

Fortunately, Anibal’s injury was just a cramp, but it knocked him out of the game. And it’s a perfect example of what makes me skiddish about him. He’s like a cool classic car. He has his heyday, and what made him attractive then makes him still attractive now. But with the amount of miles on his chassis, he’s susceptible to something breaking down, even if it’s just needing another quart of oil. Stylish, but high maintenance.

I am quite appreciative of what he has brought to this team, especially in the clubhouse. But I also recognize he cannot remain in the rotation if we truly want to make a push through September into October baseball.

What complicates it is Mike Soroka’s shoulder and Julio’s inconsistency. We’ve seen what Soroka can do when healthy, and I’m not one to push him now – as a 20 year old – and take a chance on derailing a very promising career. Back to the car analogy… that’d be like ignoring the fact that my car is in serious need of an oil change. If I ignore it now, I can reduce the life of my engine from 250K to about 100K.

And until we figure out what’s wrong with Julio’s tie rod, we may just keep veering off the road.

Pitching is the key to both regular season and post-season success. You only need 3 good ones in October, but you have to get to October. I’m not confident that our current fleet will get us that far.

Allard (L, 5-3) pitched well, but saw his 10 game quality start streak come to an end. He went 5.2 innings with four hits, three earned runs and two walks allowed, and matched his season-high with eight strikeouts. Between the bottom of the first and the bottom of the sixth, Allard allowed only one runner to reach base, and at one time retired 11 in a row.

As I understand it, Norfolk scored the deciding 2 runs with 2 outs in the 6th inning when a long fly ball fell just out of the reach of CF Michael Reed, scoring 2 runners. Reportedly it was just inches out of Reed’s reach, and occurred with 2 outs. Another example of how the game is a game of inches. If Reed had been able to get one more step on the ball, we might be talking about how Allard held another team at bay while extending his QS streak to 11.

Funny that the tone of the report was that Allard had a bad outing, yet he notched another 11 K’s over 5.2 IP, and yielded only 4 H and 3 ER. I think the Atlanta team might have won with that effort from their starter last night.

This requires a 40-man roster move as Parsons has to be added; no corresponding move has been announced yet.

BTW- Parsons must have been made aware of it last night since the Stripers are in Norfolk, VA right now and today’s Braves game is an early one. I imagine he’s already at STP. He had been scheduled to start for Gwinnett today, so he’s rested. This will be his ML debut.

Parsons joined the Braves as an undrafted FA in 2012, and has slowly worked his way up the ladder. He has at times been a Top 30 prospect, but was edged off the list with the recent influx of top talent. He has worked mostly as a starter, but has also come out of the pen some, even earning 3 Saves last year. I imagine he’s just insurance against another short outing from today’s starter (Newk).

Biggest reason they selected Parsons? Probably because he’s throwing strikes, allowing just 2.9 BBs per 9 IP this season. His K/BB rate is 2.90. He’s also not giving up alot of HRs, averaging less than 1 (0.6) per 9 IP.

Wisler was been optioned to create the 25-man roster spot, which is not a surprise since he pitched 2.1 innings last night and would not be available today. They’ll still need to make another move to create the 40-man spot.

In fact, you can bet that the move won’t come from the active roster or they would have not sent Wisler back to AAA to create the 25-man spot. It almost has to be Bell unless they’ve given up on Jason Hursh or Chase Whitley. I gotta think Bell is the guy.

Ronald Acuña will play nine innings again with Triple-A Gwinnett today. Barring any setbacks, the #Braves are optimistic he will come off the DL Friday in St Louis. Team wanted to make sure there was no soreness after playing all nine back to back days for the first time.

I suppose this should not come as a big surprise after 2 DL stints for the same problem. As Gil said, best to deal with it now. Should change the trade strategy of A-Train too. He has to be looking at starters again along with relievers. I expect him to be active once the calendar turns.

And if the news isn’t bad enough with Mike Soroka, Ozzie is out of the lineup today with a “sore toe” after taking a low slider of it last night. We need to all pray that it’s just a bruise and nothing more serious.

As for Soroka, A-Train clarified the plan this morning. He stated that the MRI is fine, they are just shutting him down completely for 30 days to fully rest the shoulder, then ramping him back up for the remaining 30 days. He’s expected to rejoin the team in late August… or more likely when rosters expand on September 1.

#1, we need Luiz Gohara to get his head back on straight and help us out in middle innings. Who would you have rather seen come into yesterday’s 7th inning – Sam Freeman or Luiz Gohara? ‘Nuff said.

#2, we need to give up on Luke Jackson, whom we know is never going to be any better, and swap him out for Max Fried, who actually has real potential. Unless Fried’s being preserved as a starter for trade purposes, go ahead and move him into a role where he can contribute now. His most likely role in ATL is in the pen anyway. He’s not starting over Newk, Folty, Soroka, Allard, Julio, Gohara, etc. See what I mean? He’s be a heckuva lot better in this pen than Jackson, who has already passed cleanly by all 29 other teams through waivers twice this season. That means not only does nobody else want him, apparently we don’t either. Yet here he is.

#3, we need AA to make a deal for a reliever and show both the team and the fans that management is serious about 2018. The longer he waits, the more he shakes the faith of the faithful. Instead of taking 2 of 3 from each respective league’s cellar dweller, we lost both series. We could be sitting today 5 game up on the 2nd place Phils and 5 1/2 game up on the Nats. Instead we’re allowing them to stay close while we go on a 10 game road trip against 3 of the best teams in baseball.

Want to really make a commitment, go to Oakland and deal for both closer Blake Treinen and 3B Jed Lowrie. Lowrie is having a really solid year at the plate and is only signed through the end of this season and would not block the incoming Austin Riley. Treinen would either be our closer or a solid lock down 8th inning guy. We need both. Having Winkler/Minter/Treinen/Viz at the back end of the bullpen shortens the game.

Want to really make a splash, go to TEX and deal for their closer Keone Kela and 3B Adrian Beltre. That would put all of baseball on notice that we’re serious about contending for a title. The flamethrowing Kela is 20/20 in save opportunities, is controllable through 2021, and is on the block because TEX is in a position with him in similar fashion to the way the Braves were with Kimbrel a few years ago. What good does it do to have a top closer when you’re a losing team? And they’d do Beltre a real solid favor by letting him go to a contender rather than languish on a loser. Can you imagine him hitting in the cleanup spot in our order?

There are already rumblings that the Braves are interested in Beltre. Alone he won’t even bring back a top 100 guy. But I’d much rather see them go for the ring and snag Kela too. That’d be a major coup.

More cracks in my rose colored glasses, this time from the everyday 8:

Ozzie missed yesterday with a “badly bruised” left big toe that took the full impact of a low-90’s slider from Matt Harvey on Tuesday. The team assured us that he was OK, yet they were having further tests done after Ozzie came in yesterday badly limping. Is it just a bruise? I haven’t heard any official clarification as of yet.

Courtesy of AJC: “We treated (Albies) all day today, we’ll get him again (Thursday) morning before we leave,” Snitker said after Wednesday’s game. “If he needs a couple of days (more rest) in St. Louis, he does. But it’s something that, the day after things are a lot more sore than the night of.”

I don’t like it.

Ender was pulled in the middle of the game after feeling a “twinge” in his oblique. The dreaded oblique strikes gain. Snit says he’s fine and they were just being cautious. I call BS on that one. We’ve seen the oblique demon strike too many times. I’m really worried about this one.

Courtesy of AJC: “He felt something in his oblique. It was kind of a ‘shadow’ type thing,” Snitker said. “He just mentioned it and as soon as he mentioned it I’m not going to take any chances, because I don’t want (him) taking a swing. I think he could have played but it’s just one of those things you don’t want to take a chance with. And again, he’s day-to-day, tomorrow he’ll get treatment, he should be fine.”

Good thing we’re getting RAJ back Friday. He can play CF. He can even lead off. I suppose we can get by with the rotation of Culberson/Santana in LF, but contending teams don’t “get by” in LF. They just don’t.

OK, on a much more serious note, how have I not heard about this before now? This directly affects Braves fans in the Fox Sports South region. In fact, it directly affects the Atlanta Braves/Hawks/United TV network deals in general.

#1, Julio Teheran, just came off the DL for shoulder soreness.
#2, Folty, just came off the DL for triceps tightness
#3, Newk, thank God for Newk
#4, Anibal Sanchez, just left a game early with calf cramps; been on the DL already for leg problems
#5, Matt Wisler, cannot even express on a family friendly forum what I want to say about typing his name here

On a radio interview happening now, Thoppy says ideally he’d like to improve in 3 areas: he’d like to add to the offense (in other words, 3B), he’d like to acquire a reliever, he’d like to add a “front line” starter. He commented that he may not be able to address all three of the areas, and that they have to be prioritized not only by team need, but also by return cost. He all but said that he’ll continue to wait as the cost of all trades improves as the calendar moves closer to the deadline.

One thing he said was, “Are there trades we could make right now that would improve our team? Yes. But they would make all Braves fans angry in what they would cost in terms of prospects.”

More highlights:

RAJ feels fine and will be activated Friday.

No word on either Ender or Ozzie. And don’t expect any until tomorrow.

“Kolby Allard can be up at any time. He’s prepared to be here. He’s at the top of the list” … but still exploring to improve from outside the organization to improve depth.

Good point Gil…
I wonder if there is “Concern” about starting so many clocks so early, so to speak.
Acuna should give the team a real spark…how well the team plays up to the all star break will of course help the team decide how much help it should try to get. All teams are going to need bullpen help, and even teams that don’t will want to get another arm or two. To help them and keep rivals from getting said arms.